Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-05-28
back into the sea, make clean sweep of the

back into the sea, make clean sweep of the
natives, only keeping enough for servants,
and have a united South Africa, like that
poor silly man Burgers used to pirate of, but
did not know how to bring about A united
Dutch South Africa, and Frank Muller to
rule it! Well such things have been, and
may be again Give me forty years of life
and strength and we shall see
Just then he reached the veranda of the
house, and dismissing his secret ambitions
from his mind. Frank Muller dismounted and
entered. In the sitting room he found Silas
Croft reading newspaper
Good day, ON Silas,n he said, extending
his hand
Good day, Meinheer Frank Muller" re-
piled the old man, coldly, for John had told
him of the incident at the shooting party
which had so nearly ended fatally, and
though he had made remark he had
formed his own conclusions.
"What are you reading in The Volkstem,
On Silas-about the Bezuldenhout AFFAIR."
mo; what was that27
at was that the vok are rising against you
English, that is all The sheriff seized Be
zuidenhout's wagon III execution of taxes, and
~
volk kicked the auctioneer off the wagon and
hunted him round the town; and now Cover
nor Lanyon is sending Raaf down with power
to swear in special constables and enforce the
law at Pochefstroom He might as well try
to stop ariver by throwing stones Let me
see, the big meeting al Paarde kraal was to
have been on tho fifteenth Of December, now
it is to be on the eighth, and then we shall see
if it will be peace or war;"
"Peace or WARP answered the old man,
testify. "That has been the cry for years
How many big meetings have there been
since Shepstone annexed the couEtry2 Six, |
think. And what has come of it all? just
nothing but talk. And what can come of it,
Suppose the Beers did fight, what would the
end of it be? They would be beaten, and a
lot of people would be killed, and that would
he the end of it. You don't suppose that
England would give into handful of Beers,
do you! What did Gen. Wolseley say the
other day at the dinner at Potchefstroom.
Why, that the country would never be given
up, because no government, Conservative,
Liberal or Radical would dare to do such a
thing. And now this new Gladstone govern
ment has telegraphed the same thing, so what
is the use of all the talk and childishness! Tell
me that, Frank Muller
Muller laughed as he answered, "You are
all very simple people, you English. Don't
you know that government is like woman
who cries No, no, no, and kisses you all the
time9 If there is noise enough, your British
government will eat its words and give
Wolseiey and Shepstone and Bartle Frere
and Lanyon, and all of them, the lie This is
a bigger business than You think for, ON
Silas. OF course all these meetings and talk
are got up. Inc people are angry because OF
the English way of dealing with the natives,
| and because they have to pay taxes; and they
think that, now that you English have paid
their debts and smashed up Sikukuni and
Cetewayo. they would ike to have the land
back. They were glad enough for Won to take
1t at first; now it is another matter But
still that is not much. If they were left &c
| themselves nothing would come of it except
| talk. for many Of them are very glad that the
| land should he English. But the men who
| pull the strings arr down in the Cape. They
want to drive every Englishman ont Of
| South Africa. When Shelstone annexed the
| Transyaal he turned the scale against the
| Dutch element and broke up the plans they
nave been laying for years to make a big
| anti Engiish republic of the whole country
II the Transvaal remains English there is al
end of their hopes for only the free state re
mains, and that is hemmed in That is why
they are so angry; and that is why then
tools are stirring the people up, They NEAR
to make them fight now, and think thai
they will succeed If the Beers win the day
they will declare themselves; if not you vii
hear nothing of them, and the Beers vii
bear the brunt of it. They are very cunning
people, the Cape patriots, but they look wei
after themselves
Silas Croft looked troubled and made nj
answer, and Frank Muller rose and staret
out of the window.